Appliance with a support rack having a plurality of support elements

ABSTRACT

A support rack for an appliance such as a laundry dryer includes a plurality of support elements that are designed to hold items at least partially above a main support surface of the rack. The support elements may be movably mounted on the rack so that they can be moved between stowed and deployed positions. The ends of the support elements may have configurations that are designed to securely hold items, such as delicate clothing items. Holders on either the rack or the support elements, or on both, could hold the support elements in stowed and deployed positions. In some instances, the support elements may also be removably mounted on holders on the rack.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many laundry dryers are now equipped with a removable drying rack thatcan be installed in the interior of the dryer. Although the dryer mayinclude a rotating drum that rotates as the dryer operates, the dryingrack is mounted in the interior of the dryer so that it does not rotatewith the drum. Instead, the rack remains stationary inside the rotatingdrum.

The rack is designed to support delicate clothing items that might bedamaged if they were allowed to tumble inside the dryer as the dryeroperates. Once the laundry items have been placed on the stationarydrying rack, the dryer operates normally, with the drum rotating andwith a flow of heated dry air circulating through the interior of thedryer. The heated dry air passing over the items on the drying rackdries the items much more rapidly than if the items were simply allowedto air dry.

The rack itself can be made from a wire mesh, or from syntheticmaterials that have been molded into a lattice or mesh shape. Variousmounting elements are used to removably mount the drying rack in theinterior of a dryer so that the rack does not move with the rotatingdrum.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a drying rack 4 that can be mountedinside the rotating drum of a dryer. The drying rack is formed frommetal wires. Two main support wires 17 run the length of the rack atopposite sides. One end of each of the main support wires is bent toform a structure that is used to removably mount the rack inside adryer. The bent sections include a mounting portion 18 that includes afirst portion 21 extending forward from the rack, a bent portion 19, andan insertion portion 20 that is configured to be inserted into aperturesin the dryer. The bent sections also include a supporting portion 22that is configured to rest on a surface of the dryer to hold the rack ina cantilevered orientation within the rotating drum of the dryer, and areturn portion 23 that extends upward from the supporting portion to theunderside of the rack.

As also illustrated in FIG. 1, the drying rack includes a plurality ofcenter support wires 32 that run the length of the rack parallel to themain support wires. A plurality of cross-wires 16 are attached to andextend perpendicular to the center support wires 32 and the main supportwires. Ends of the cross-wires 16 are bent upward to form sidewalls ofthe drying rack. Upper support wires 30 that extend the length of therack and that run parallel to the main support wires 17 and the centersupport wires 32 are attached to the ends of the cross-wires 16.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the drying rack 4 can be mounted inside adryer by inserting the mounting portions 20 of the rack into mountingholes 5 on the front panel of the dryer. The supporting portions 22 ofthe main support wires rest against a non-moving surface on the interiorof the dryer to support the drying rack in a cantilevered fashion insidethe rotating drum 3 of the dryer.

When the dryer is operating, the drum 3 will rotate, and a flow ofheated dry air will flow out of air holes 8 located on a rear wall 7 ofthe dryer. The flow of air will pass over any items placed on the dryingrack 4 to dry the items. The flow of air will then exit through a duct10 on the front panel, as illustrated by arrow 9. The flow of airexiting the interior of the drum may pass through a lint filter 11mounted in the duct 10.

Some laundry items include metal or plastic clasps or hooks that canharm other items when they are all tumbled together in a rotating drumof a dryer. It would be desirable to immobilize such items in the dryerto prevent them from harming other items. However, many such items donot easily remain stationary when placed on a drying rack.

Although a drying rack as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is helpful indrying larger items, smaller items such as lingerie are in danger offalling through the apertures in the rack. In addition, if the userwishes to dry multiple delicate items at the same time, and all of themultiple items are placed on the rack at the same time, they often endup piled on top of each other, which makes it more difficult for theflow of drying air to effectively dry the items. In addition to thoseproblems, some items, such as shoes, may be difficult to place on thedrying rack so that the flow of air passing through the interior of thedrum passes through the items to effectively and quickly dry the items.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention may be embodied in a rack for supportingitems within an appliance that includes a primary support surface andmounting elements configured to mount the rack within an appliance. Therack also includes at least one support element that is movably mountedon the rack so that the at least one support element can move between astowed and at least one deployed position. When the at least one supportelement is located in a deployed position, the at least one supportelement is configured to support an item at least partially above theprimary support surface.

A second aspect of the invention may be embodied in a rack forsupporting items within an appliance that includes a primary supportsurface and mounting elements configured to mount the rack within anappliance. The rack also includes a plurality of holders that aremounted on the rack and a plurality of support elements, where eachsupport element is configured to support an item at least partiallyabove the primary support surface. Each support element is removablymountable in one of the plurality of holders.

Racks embodying the invention could be used in a laundry dryer, or acombination washer/dryer. The racks could also be used in otherappliances, such as dishwashers.

The invention may also be embodied in laundry machines or dishwashersthat incorporate racks as described above.

The support elements may be configured to securely hold items so thatthe items are supported above the primary support surface of the rack.The support elements can utilize various end configurations to securelyhold items while the appliance is operating.

The support elements may be coupled to the rack via detent mechanismswhich allow the support elements to be positioned in one or moredeployed positions.

Holders that are attached to either the rack or the support elements, orboth, can be used to hold the support elements in deployed or stowedpositions.

The support elements may be rotationally mounted on the rack so thatthey can move between a stowed and a deployed position.

The support elements could be slidably mounted on the rack so that theycan move between the stowed and deployed positions.

The support elements could also be retractable within a hollow pipe orstructural element so that they can be moved between stowed and deployedpositions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rack;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rack mounted in a laundry dryer;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rack with support elements that arerotationally mounted on the rack, where the support elements are in thestowed position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rack with support elements that arerotationally mounted on the rack, where the support elements are in adeployed position;

FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate different types of support elements;

FIGS. 6A-C are front, side and top views of a support element withholders;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are front and side views of a support element withholders;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a rack with rotationally mounted supportelements that have holders, where the support elements are in a deployedposition;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rack illustrated in FIG. 8 where thesupport elements are in a stowed position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a rack with support elements having asingle holder that can hold the support elements in either a deployed orstowed position;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a rack with holders mounted on thesupport wires, where the holders can hold rotationally mounted supportelements in either deployed or stowed positions;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a rack with slidably mounted supportelements;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a rack with holders that can removablyhold a plurality of support elements;

FIG. 14 is a diagram of a typical hook and loop fastening portion of abrassiere;

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a pair of support elements that include hook andloop fasteners which can attach to corresponding hook and loop fastenersof a brassiere;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a portion of a rack having retractable supportelements;

FIGS. 17A and 17B illustrate an embodiment of an end of a retractablesupport element;

FIG. 18 is a diagram of a portion of a rack having retractable supportelements as illustrated in FIGS. 17A and 17B;

FIG. 19 is a perspective diagram of an end clip that can be used toattach a support bar to a rack;

FIG. 20 is a diagram of a support bar having end clips as illustrated inFIG. 19 at each end; and

FIG. 21 is a diagram of a portion of a rack having support bars asillustrated in FIG. 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A rack 4 having a plurality of support elements 40 is illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4. Each of the support elements 40 is rotationally mountedon the rack by a swivel unit 42. The swivel units 42 allow the supportelements 40 to rotate between a stowed position, as illustrated in FIG.3, and a deployed position, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The end 44 of each support element 40 opposite the swivel unit 42 isconfigured to hold and support an item above, or at least partiallyabove, a primary support surface of the rack, which is formed by themain support wires 17, the center support wires 32 and the cross-wires16. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ends 44 of thesupport elements 40 have U-shaped portions that are designed to supportlaundry items, or possibly straps or loops of laundry items.Alternatively, the U-shaped ends 44 of the support elements 40 couldsupport the fabric of a laundry item.

The U-shaped ends 44 of the support elements could, for example, supportthe straps of a brassiere or portions of other delicate lingerie. Thiswould hold all or portions of the items off the primary support surfaceof the rack, to enhance the ability of a flow of air to dry the items.In addition, if such items are securely held by the support elements 40,they are prevented from falling through gaps in the primary supportsurface. Thus, there is no danger that the items will be tumbled by therotating drum of the dryer, which could damage delicate items. Moreover,this prevents a metal clasp of such an item from contacting and damagingother items that might also be present in the dryer.

The swivel units 42 that couple the support elements 40 to the rackcould be attached to one of the wires that form the rack. If the rack isinstead made of a molded synthetic material, such a swivel unit could beattached to the material of the rack via any suitable fastening means,such as screws, pins, rivets, adhesives, clamps, etc.

The swivel units 42 could include friction producing elements that allowthe support elements 40 to be rotated into and held at any orientationwith respect to the primary support surface of the rack. This wouldallow a user to position the ends 44 of the support elements at varyingheights above the primary support surface. In addition, this would allowa user to vary the spacing between the ends 44 of two of the supportelements to accommodate different sized laundry items.

In some embodiments, each swivel unit may also include a detentmechanism which allows the attached support element to be positioned ateach of a plurality of predetermined rotational orientations withrespect to the primary support surface. Such a detent mechanism could beused in addition to friction producing elements, or in place of frictionproducing elements.

FIGS. 5A-5E illustrate various different styles of ends 44 of thesupport elements 40. FIG. 5A illustrates a U-shaped end 44, similar tothe ones illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Portions of a laundry item couldbe hooked over the U-shaped end 44 to hold the item at least partiallyabove a primary support surface of a rack.

FIG. 5B illustrates a spiral shaped end 44 of a support element 40. Astrap of a laundry item could be placed in the center of the spiral tosecurely hold the item. Even if the item were to move around in responseto a flow of drying air, the strap would not likely escape from thecenter of the spiral. Thus, the spiral shaped end 44 would also serve tosecurely hold an item above the primary support surface of a rack.

FIG. 5C illustrates a generally Y-shaped end 44, where the ends of thearms of the Y closely approach one another. Here again, a strap of alaundry item could be placed into the center of the end 44, between thearms, to securely hold the item. Even if the item were to move around inresponse to a flow of drying air, the strap would not likely escape fromthe center.

FIG. 5D illustrates an end 44 which has a closed loop. The closed loopincludes a bent arm 45, and a pivotable jaw 47. The jaw may be biasedinto the position illustrated in FIG. 5D by a spring or some other typeof biasing element. In this instance, a strap or a loop of material ofan item could be inserted into the center of the loop by temporarilyrotating the jaw 47 inward around a pivot axis 49. The biasing elementwould then cause the jaw to return to the position illustrated in FIG.5D, which would trap the strap or loop inside the end 44. To remove thestrap or loop, the user would simply depress the jaw to open the end,and then remove the strap.

FIG. 5E illustrates a support element with both a spiral shaped end 44,and a plurality of hooks 43 spaced along a length of the supportelement. This would allow each support element to support multipledifferent items. The hooks 43 could extend in multiple differentdirections away from the shaft of the support element 40.

The support elements illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5E are only some of manydifferent configurations that are possible. Each configuration couldhave one or multiple different specific uses. And any one supportelement could include one or multiple different supporting devices. Allthat is required is that the support element be capable of holding anitem at least partially above the primary support surface of the rack.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, each support element 40 may bepivotable between a stowed position and a deployed position. In theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the swivel units 42 provided aforce which hold the support elements in one or both of the stowed anddeployed positions. In alternate embodiments, holders positioned on therack and/or the support elements themselves could be used to hold thesupport elements in one or both of the stowed and deployed positions.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a support element 40 with a spiral shaped end 44.Two holders 80 are mounted on the support element 40. As illustrated inFIG. 6C, each holder 80 has a pair of opposed elastically deformablejaws 82 that define a holding aperture 84. The holders are designed toclamp onto and hold a wire of a rack that is oriented approximatelyparallel to the support element.

To fix the support element at a particular position, the support elementis moved adjacent to a wire of the rack so that the wire is insertedbetween the jaws 82. The jaws deform outward so that the wire can passbetween the tips of the jaws 82 and into the holding aperture 84. Thejaws then return to their original shape so that the wire is held withinthe holding aperture between the jaws. This prevents the support elementfrom moving with respect to the wire. To move the support element awayfrom this position, the user would push the support element away fromthe wire, which will cause the jaws 82 to deform outward again,releasing the wire.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an alternate embodiment of a support elementhaving two holders. In this embodiment, the holders 80 have been rotatedapproximately 90 degrees around the shaft of the support element 40 sothat the jaws 82 of the holders 80 can clamp onto a wire that isoriented approximately perpendicular to the shaft of the support element40.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show how a support element as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and7B could be used on a support rack. As illustrated in FIG. 8, a user canposition the support elements 40 in a deployed position where thelowermost holders 53 grasp the upper support wires 30 to hold thesupport elements in the deployed position. When the user wishes to stowthe support elements, the user would rotate the support elements 40around the outside of the rack until the uppermost holders engage thecenter support wires 32. Although in this embodiment, the holders areoriented so that the support elements rotate around the outside of therack to move between the stowed and deployed positions, in alternateembodiments, the support elements 40 could rotate in the otherdirection.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment where a single double-sidedholder 58 is mounted on each support element. The single double-sidedholder 58 has jaws and holding apertures on opposite sides so that theholder can clamp onto a wire from either side of the support element 40.FIG. 10 shows that the holder 58 on one support element 40 is clamped tothe upper support wire to hold that support element in the deployedposition. The holder 58 on the other support element 40 is clamped ontoone of the center support wires 32 to hold that support element in thestowed position. The rack is designed so that the upper support wire 30and the center support wire 32 are each approximately the same distancefrom the main support wire 17. This allows a single double-sided holderto clamp onto either of the wires. Also, depending on how the rack isassembled, the support elements could rotate between the deployed andstowed positions by rotating around the outside of the rack, or byrotating in the other direction.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment where individual holders are mountedon the wires of the rack itself. In this embodiment, the jaws of theholders are designed to receive and clamp onto the shaft of the supportelements. As illustrated, holders 60 located on the upper support wireswould hold the support elements 40 in the deployed position. Holders 62on the center support wires 32 would hold the support elements in thestowed position. In some embodiments, the support elements might simplybe rotated into the stowed position, and gravity alone could hold themin this position. Also, the holders could be configured so that thesupport elements could rotate around the outside of the rack, or in theother direction.

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment where the support elements 40 areslidable between the stowed and deployed positions. Sliding holders 66are attached to the main support wire 17. The support elements are thenslidably held by the sliding holders 66. This would allow a user toslide each support element to a desired height above the primary supportsurface to accommodate different sized items.

In addition, the support elements could extend at an angle with respectto the primary support surface of the rack so that the higher the ends44 are positioned above the primary support surface, the further theends will extends outward toward the sides. This arrangement would alsoaid the user in adjusting the support elements to accommodate differentsized items.

Moreover, the sliding holders 66 may also allow the support elements torotate. This would also allow a user to customize the configuration ofthe support elements to accommodate different sized and shaped items.

FIG. 13 illustrates a rack that includes holders 70 that are designed toremovably hold the support elements 40. Each holder 70 includes one ormore apertures or slots 72 that are configured to receive the end of asupport element. The apertures or slots may include a biasing orfriction fit element that allows the end of a support element to besecurely held. The apertures or slots 72 may also allow a supportelement to be rotated to a desired orientation, and then held at thatorientation.

When the rack is made of wire elements, the holders 70 may be separatedevices that are attached to the wires. When the rack is molded from asynthetic material, the apertures or slots 72 may be directed moldedinto the rack.

When a rack includes apertures or slots designed to receive the ends ofsupport elements, the user may be supplied with multiple different typesof support elements. Different support elements could have differentlengths and different ends 44 designed to receive and grasp differenttypes of items. Thus, a user could select exactly the type of supportelements needed to hold the type of item being supported.

FIG. 14 illustrates mating ends 102/104 of a typical brassiere strap.The mating ends 102/104 are held together by hook elements 110 locatedon a first end 102 and loop elements 112 located on the second end 104.Some brassieres will include a single row of hook elements 110, andmultiple rows of loop elements 112. This allows the row of hook elements110 to be hooked onto any of the multiple rows of loop elements 112 foran adjustable fit. Some brassieres will also include multiple rows ofhook elements 110, as illustrated in FIG. 14.

FIG. 15 illustrates a pair of support elements 40 which can be mountedon a rack using any of the devices and methods described above. Onesupport element 40 includes a row of hook elements 110, and the othersupport element includes a row of loop elements 112. The hook elements110 and loop elements 112 are designed to interface with the hookelements 110 and loop elements 112 on a typical brassiere. Thus, a usercould hook the hook elements 110 on a first end 102 of a brassiere strapto the loop elements 112 on a first support element 40, and the loopelements 112 on the second end 104 of the brassiere strap to the hookelements 110 on the other of the pair of support element 40. This wouldprovide a relatively secure way to attach a brassiere to a pair ofspaced apart support elements on a drying rack.

FIG. 16 illustrates another way of mounting support elements on a dryingrack. In this embodiment, the support elements 144 are retractablymounted inside a hollow cross member 116 of a drying rack. When a userwishes to use a support element to hold a laundry item, the supportelement 144 can be pulled out of the end of the hollow cross member 116,like the support element 144 on the left side in FIG. 16. When the userno longer needs to use the support element 144, it can be pushed downinto the interior of the hollow cross member 116, as shown on the rightside in FIG. 16.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16, the support elements 144include a spiral shaped end. However, the support elements 114 couldhave any number of different configurations, as described above.

Support elements 144 as illustrated in FIG. 16 could have a semi-rigidstructure which allows them to flex and bend as they are pushed downinto the hollow cross member 116. However, the semi-rigid nature of thesupport elements 144 would allow them to remain upright once they arepulled out of the end of the hollow cross member 116 so that they cansupport laundry items above the rack.

A flexible support element 144 as generally illustrated in FIG. 16 couldinclude a spring-loaded support element that is designed to deploy asthe end of the flexible support element 144 is pulled out of the end ofthe hollow cross member 116. An example of such a spring loaded supportelement is illustrated in FIGS. 17A and 17B.

FIG. 17A shows the end of a flexible support element 144, which includesan end cap 146. The end cap 146 is designed to come to rest on the endof the hollow cross member 116 when the flexible support member 144 ispushed down into the hollow cross member 116. FIG. 18 shows such aflexible support member 144 fully pushed down into the hollow crossmember 116 on the right side.

The end of the flexible support member 144 also includes a spring loadedsupport element 150. A first end of the spring loaded support element150 is pivotally mounted inside the flexible support member around apivot axis 152. A biasing element 154 pushes a second opposite end ofthe spring loaded support element outward to a deployed position, asillustrated in FIG. 17A. FIG. 18 shows such a flexible support member144 pulled out of the left side of the hollow cross member 116, suchthat the spring loaded support element 150 is deployed. A user couldthen attach a laundry item to the flexible support member 144 via thespring loaded support element 150.

When a user pushes the flexible support member 144 down into the end ofthe hollow cross member, the wall of the hollow cross member 116 willpush the second end of the spring loaded support element inside of theend of the flexible support member 144 against the force of the biasingmember 154, to a position as illustrated in FIG. 17B.

FIGS. 19-21 illustrate another embodiment of a drying rack in whichcertain sections of the rack can be reconfigured by the user. Thereconfigurable sections include straight members 202 with clips 200 ateach end. The clips, as illustrated in FIG. 19, allow the straightmembers 202 to be attached to other portions of the drying rack inmultiple different orientations.

Each clip 200 includes a first pair of curved surfaces 206 designed tograsp a cylindrical member oriented perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the straight member 202. Each clip also includes a second set ofcurved surfaces 204 designed to grasp a cylindrical member orientedparallel to the longitudinal axis of the straight member 202. The clipsare made of a flexible material that allows the curved surfaces tosurround and grasp a cylindrical member.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, a straight member 202 can be attached to endsof two adjacent cross members 16 such that the straight member 202bridges the ends of the adjacent cross members 16. Alternatively, a clip200 at one end of a straight member 202 can be attached to an end of across member 16 so that the straight member 202 projects upward,parallel to the end of the cross member 16. When in this position, thefree end of the straight member 202 can support laundry items above thesurface of the rack.

FIGS. 20 and 21 also illustrate that shaped support elements 210 can belocated on an end of the clips 200. The shaped support elements 210would be used to hold laundry items on the end of the straight member202. The shaped support element 210 could have any of the shapesillustrated above, or other alternate configurations.

As noted above, a rack embodying the invention could be used in alaundry dryer to support items inside a rotating drum of a dryer.However, a rack as disclosed above could also be used in otherappliances, such as in a dishwasher.

Although the above embodiments illustrate some of the types of supportelements that could be used with a support rack, many otherconfigurations are also possible. Thus, the configurations describedabove should not be considered in any way limiting.

Likewise, while the embodiments described above included variousmechanism that allow a support element to be movable supported on arack, and to be fixed in predetermined positions on the rack, thedisclosed embodiments should not be considered in any way limiting. Manyother types of holding and fixation devices could also be used.

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1. A rack for supporting items within an appliance, comprising: a rackthat includes a primary support surface and mounting elements configuredto mount the rack on an appliance; and at least one support element thatis movably mounted on the rack so that the at least one support elementcan move between a stowed and at least one deployed position, whereinwhen the at least one support element is located in a deployed position,the at least one support element is configured to support an item atleast partially above the primary support surface.
 2. The rack of claim1, wherein the at least one support element is rotationally mounted onthe rack such that it can rotate between the stowed position and adeployed position.
 3. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least onesupport element is slidably mounted on the rack such that it can slidebetween the stowed position and a deployed position.
 4. The rack ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one detent mechanism, each detentmechanism coupling a support element to the rack and being configured tohold the support element in a deployed position.
 5. The rack of claim 4,wherein each detent mechanism is configured to hold a support element ineach of a plurality of deployed positions.
 6. The rack of claim 4,wherein each detent mechanism is also configured to hold a supportelement in the stowed position.
 7. The rack of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one holder coupled the rack or a support element,wherein each holder is configured to releasably hold a support elementin a deployed position.
 8. The rack of claim 1, further comprising atleast one holder, each holder being coupled to a support element, andwherein each holder is configured to hold its support element in both adeployed position and the stowed position.
 9. The rack of claim 1,further comprising a first holder coupled to a support element andconfigured to hold the support element in a deployed position, and asecond holder coupled to the support element and configured to hold thesupport element in the stowed position.
 10. The rack of claim 1, furthercomprising a first holder coupled to the rack and configured to hold asupport element in a deployed position, and a second holder coupled tothe rack and configured to hold a support element in a stowed position.11. The rack of claim 1, wherein an end of the at least one supportelement is configured to hold and support a laundry item.
 12. The rackof claim 11, wherein an end of the at least one support elementcomprises a closed loop that includes a movable jaw, and wherein themovable jaw is biased into a closed position at which the jaw closes theloop.
 13. The rack of claim 1, wherein the at least one support elementcomprises a plurality of holding elements configured to hold and supportlaundry items, and wherein the holding elements are spaced along alength of the at least one support element.
 14. The rack of claim 1,wherein the at least one support element is a flexible member thatslidably mounted inside a hollow member that forms a portion of therack, and wherein the flexible member can be slid out of and insertedinto the hollow member.
 15. A rack for supporting items within anappliance, comprising: a rack that includes a primary support surfaceand mounting elements configured to mount the rack on an appliance; aplurality of holders that are mounted on the rack; and a plurality ofsupport elements, each support element being configured to support anitem at least partially above the primary support surface, wherein eachsupport element is removably mountable in one of the plurality ofholders.
 16. The rack of claim 15, wherein each holder is configured tohold a plurality of support elements.
 17. The rack of claim 15, whereineach holder is configured to hold a plurality of support elements suchthat the support elements extend in different directions away from theholder.
 18. A rack for supporting items within an appliance, comprising:a rack that includes a primary support surface and cross members havingends that extend upward from the primary support surface; a plurality ofstraight members that can be attached to ends of the cross members infirst and second orientations, wherein when a straight member is in thefirst orientation, the straight member is oriented substantiallyparallel to the primary support surface, and wherein when a straightmember is in the second orientation, the straight member is orientedsubstantially parallel to an end of a cross member.
 19. The rack ofclaim 18, wherein a clip is formed on at least one end of each straightmember, each clip being configured to hold the straight member in eitherthe first or the second orientation.
 20. The rack of claim 18, whereinwhen a straight member is in the second orientation, the straight membercan support an item at least partially above the primary supportsurface.